Nixon vs. Khrushchev in kitchen debate, July 24, 1959

On this day in 1959, at a U.S. trade fair in Moscow, Vice President Richard Nixon engaged in an impromptu exchange with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on the merits of their respective economic systems. It became known as “the kitchen debate,” because it took place in the kitchen of a model suburban U.S. home, stocked with the latest gadgets and cut in half so it could be viewed.

William Safire, who was working at the time as a publicist for a firm hired by the kitchen’s designer, enticed Khrushchev and Nixon to walk over to the model and took a widely reproduced photo of their exchange. Safire went on to become a Nixon speechwriter and a New York Times columnist.

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“This house,” Nixon said, “can be bought for $14,000, and most American [World War II veterans] can buy a home in the bracket of $10,000 to $15,000. Let me give you an example that you can appreciate. Our steelworkers, as you know, are now on strike. But any steelworker could buy this house. They earn $3 an hour. This house costs about $100 a month to buy on a contract running 25 to 30 years.”

“We have steelworkers and peasants who can afford to spend $14,000 for a house,” Khrushchev responded. “Your American houses are built to last only 20 years, so builders could sell new houses at the end. We build firmly. We build for our children and grandchildren.”

Khrushchev voiced doubts that Nixon would make good on his promise that his part in the debate would be translated into English and broadcast in the United States. The three U.S. television networks broadcast the debate in full on July 25. Two days later, it was seen on late-night Moscow television. Nixon’s remarks were only partially translated.

Source: “Debate Goes on TV Over Soviet Protest,”by Richard Shepard, New York Times, July 26, 1959